Down by the River
by Fallenbelle2
Summary: Unchaperoned and away from polite society to intrude upon them, they were going to make love with one another.


Title: Down by the River

Author: Fallenbelle

Rating: T for mentions of sex

Spoilers: None. Sometime in season two between The Green Muse and Shades of Grey

Summary: Unchaperoned and away from polite society to intrude upon them, they were going to make love with one another.

Notes: This fic is for LoveMondays, I hope I did it at least partial justice. Thanks to Ruthie Green for throwing me a line. This would have been a disaster without her.

* * *

The day was warm, but not altogether unpleasantly so as there was sufficient breeze to soften the sun's heat on a summer Saturday. So when Julia proposed riding the Yonge street car out to the York Mills Hotel on Saturday afternoon and picking up a picnic lunch as well as renting a few bicycles to ride along the Don River Valley, he eagerly accepted the invitation, fully cognizant of how the afternoon would likely be spent.

Unchaperoned and away from polite society to intrude upon them, they were going to make love with one another.

Soon after her phone call, William hurried to a dry goods store that was rumored to carry the "protection" Julia had previously requested. Initially, there was a tense moment as he'd clumsily asked for the illicit item and the clerk stared back at him reproachfully before finally opening a small drawer and handing it to him. It wasn't until later that he realized that in his haste to escape the awkward encounter as well as the fact that he, an officer of the law had just broken it, he had failed to receive his change. But, he was just relieved to discover that the rumors had been true and that the business hadn't yet been raided for selling illegal contraceptives and had agreed to sell them to him.

Back in his room, he had also tried to read to calm his anxious mind, but it was of no use as he instead fantasized about what he was going to do with Julia later that afternoon. There was no point in denying it: he was going to break his promise to himself, his future wife as well as God and not wait until marriage.

Yet this was not the greatest of his concerns. Those were solely in regards to pleasing his lady and making a favorable impression upon her in the hopes that this would not be their only time together. When compared to any previous lovers she may have had, there was no question that William wanted to be her favorite. He thought back to the scandalous novels that spoke of how to pleasure a woman and tried to integrate this with the texts of marital advice he'd also acquired, all carefully hidden away from the watchful eye of Mrs. Kitchen. While he had been physically chaste, he had most certainly not remained so in his heart and mind: there he had been downright wanton.

Father Faire would most certainly not approve and nor would God. He decided that he'd worry about them later.

Thus, when noon arrived, William met Julia at the streetcar terminus; he was dressed in his Sunday best (which Julia had complimented him on more than once) and he had even taken a bath and extra care with his toilette. Of course she was a fetching sight in her cycling costume: the light gray skirt slightly shorter than was her normal custom and the matching jacket with mutton sleeves that nipped in at her waist. Her ensemble was topped with a jaunty straw boater perched atop her curls. William couldn't help his forwardness as he told her she looked beautiful.

Eyes meeting, they both blushed and quickly looked down, smiles on both their faces.

"You're looking quite handsome yourself, William," she shyly countered, causing them both to blush again.

* * *

The heat combined with the bicycles from the hotel had made their ride less than satisfactory, thus it wasn't long before they abandoned their ride to picnic along the riverbanks in Hogg's Hollow. Thankfully, the picnic lunch packed by the hotel turned out to be most excellent.

"I must say that it's a shame that this idyllic spot is so far from the city. If it were closer, I might be inclined to build a house here one day," William commented while eating fried chicken so succulent that it put Mrs. Kitchen's to absolute shame.

"Mmm, it is indeed lovely, but seeing as it took us over an hour to get here, I would think it a bit impractical for daily living," Julia agreed. "Perhaps a second home? They have already begun subdividing the land. Maybe even this very spot we're on?" she commented.

"Mmm," William responded. He would do well to own one house, two would be solely out of his reach.

Julia had been right to suggest this location, as its natural beauty was stunning. The willow, maple, birch, pine, and spruce trees all provided a spectacular backdrop for their afternoon in addition to shielding and cooling them from the sun's relentless heat. Having spread their blanket under an accommodating willow tree, the afternoon was quite pleasant, and the gentle rustle of their leaves along with the soft babbling of the Don River as it made its way towards Lake Ontario had lulled their meal-time chatter into a comfortable, companionable silence.

Yet the unspoken undercurrent was undeniable, as both would occasionally sneak a glance at one another and William felt his belly coil in anticipation.

He felt reasonably sure that Julia desired him as he did her, yet he remained frozen in fear. He knew that as the man, the expectation was there that he would initiate any encounter between the two of them, yet he didn't know if he could be so forward.

After all, Julia had kissed him first the other night because he was too shy. Still, he tried to desperately gather his courage when he heard Julia sigh, her disappointment evident. Sitting up, she glanced around at the trees as she removed her jacket. Damp from her sweat, her blouse was transparent and he could glimpse her undergarments.

"When we were children, Ruby and I would often race one another to the top of various trees. I was bigger, but she was more agile and fearless, I suppose," she commented. "But then, I suppose you've had more than your fair share of experience climbing trees yourself, William. After all, you did it for a living," she added, looking at him with a twinkle in her eye.

"I suppose I do," he shrugged, sitting up himself and glancing at her and then glancing around at the various trees himself. . "You're not challenging me, are you?" he asked.

"Maybe I am," she tossed back at him as she leapt up and proceeded to make her way up the large willow.

Even with her head start and his taking a moment to doff his own jacket, she hadn't climbed far, undoubtedly impeded by her corset and heels and he easily caught up with her, and without thinking, he had pinned her to the side of the tree with his body. She threw her head back in surrender and without thinking he leaned in and kissed her neck.

"Even though we were supposed to have a race, it would seem you've caught me, William. Whatever are you going to do with me, good sir?" she teasingly asked, making it a point to rub against him ever so enticingly.

"I plan on having my way with you, Julia," he shocked himself by replying. Then because of said experience working in lumber camps, he easily descended the tree while carrying Julia without thought.

Laying her gently down on the blanket, William covered her body with his without thought and captured her mouth with his. Just as she had the other night, she made quick work of his vest and suspenders while he hastily yanked off his tie. While she was untucking his shirt from his trousers, he was doing the same with her blouse.

"Please tell me that you have protection today, William," she murmured in between kisses.

"Would it be incredibly forward of me to say yes?" William asked.

"Yes, but then I would like that very much," she replied, nipping his lip.

"As my lady wishes," he countered as he helped her sit up so that he could remove her blouse and skirt, which he quickly did. But when he came to her corset, he froze in apprehension. While long intrigued and even aroused by how the garment affected a woman's body, he remained unsure about removing it. His cheeks burned in embarrassment. There was no doubt that his lack of knowledge and experience was in full evidence and no doubt disappointing to a worldly woman like Julia.

"William, have you ever removed a lady's corset before?" Julia inquired.

"Uh, no. Not really," he mumbled, looking down. The dinner that had tasted so delicious earlier was not sitting well in his stomach now. _You damned fool_ , he cursed himself.

Giggling softly, she cupped his face with her hand. "William, I can assist you with the corset. It's a minor detail, and I have no doubt that someone of your intellect and interests can quickly figure it out. I promise you that it's not difficult to do, and that it's quite natural really," she reassured him with a smile.

Smiling back, William knew she wasn't just speaking about the corset and breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn't aware that he'd been holding.

Laughing, he leaned in and kissed her before joining her in making quick work of her corset. Soon there were no impediments of any kind between them and they fell back onto the blanket together.

That afternoon in the Don River Valley among the verdant trees and flowers, two colleagues who had become friends became something more.


End file.
